15-Inch MacBook Air Reviews: The Sweet Spot for Performance, Size, and Value

[MacRumors]

Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Air will launch in stores and begin arriving to customers this Tuesday. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the laptop have been shared by select media outlets and YouTube channels, offering a closer look at new features.

The 15-inch MacBook Air is equipped with the same M2 chip as the 13-inch model, and the laptops share the same overall design. Apple says both models even have the same battery life. The 15-inch model's only hardware differences include a larger display/chassis and six speakers, compared to four in the 13-inch model. For a more detailed comparison, read our 13-inch vs. 15-inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide.

The 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, while the 13-inch model now starts at a lower $1,099. However, all 15-inch configurations include a 10-core GPU, while the entry-level 13-inch model is equipped with an 8-core GPU. All 15-inch models also ship with 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter at no additional cost.

Written Reviews

The Verge's Monica Chin was impressed with the 15-inch MacBook Air's speakers:

But the third big difference is the speakers. The Air 13's speakers are good; the Air 15's are stupendous. Bass came through in a way it doesn't on pretty much any other computer; I was so stunned when I first turned on a bass-heavy song that I thought it must've been coming from a Bluetooth speaker somewhere else.

TheStreet's Jacob Krol said the 15-inch MacBook Air offers considerable value:

At its core, the 15-inch MacBook Air is an impressively robust, ultra-portable laptop and a crazily thin one at just 11.5-millimeters. When you consider the price point, though, the $1,299 starting MSRP significantly undercuts the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro by $700 and doesn't compromise a ton on performance.

TechCrunch's Brian Heater said he managed 19 hours of video playback on a single charge:

The battery is rated at 18 hours – same as the 13-inch. In TechCrunch's testing, we got around 19 hours of video playback. While the screen is larger and therefore draws more power, that’s counteracted by an enlarged footprint, creating more space for battery.

CNBC's Kif Leswing said the 15-inch MacBook Air "hits the sweet spot for most people in terms of price, capability, and portability."

Six Colors' Jason Snell said the 15-inch MacBook Air fills a void:

If you've hesitated to consider buying a MacBook Air because its screens always seemed a bit too cramped, you now have another option. If you've always wanted a bigger display but didn't want to pay more than $1000 for the privilege, your time is now.

This laptop has literally everything that made the M2 MacBook Air great. It's just bigger. Sometimes, bigger is better.

Video Reviews

Article Link: 15-Inch MacBook Air Reviews: The Sweet Spot for Performance, Size, and Value

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

looks really sweet

too bad it costs 1600 euros in europe , hard price to swallow, especially since you need to add 230 euros for 16gb of ram, and another 230 euros if you want "M1 speeds" SSD

 

[dantracht]

Looks like a great product. Makes me fail to see the point behind the 13” when this is such a good value.

 

[Algus]

The 13'' lower price point and slightly smaller form factor will still be appealing to a lot of folks. When you think of the price difference, that's $200 for a slightly larger screen. Some people will think that is money well worth spending, others will probably prefer to keep their $200. I definitely see both sizes having their niches.

 

[hacky]

15" is way too large for me.

14" is the perfect size. No need to go beyond that for portable device.

 

[spaxxedout]

Will have to find out from non-sponsored reviews if Apple used single or dual ssd modules for the base 256gb model.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I can't believe it took them this long to finally make a 15 inch Macbook Air. It just makes sense

Best part it's at a really great price. It's cheaper than all the other 15 inch notebooks out there, and faster than them, and with 5x the battery life of them

The 15 inch Macbook Air is pretty much the final nail in the coffin for the Dell XPS lineup.

 

[nfl46]

I'm switching from my 16-inch MBP (M1 Pro) to the 15-inch MBA Base. I know it's a downgrade but I'm over the size (weight) of it. I only browse the internet and watch videos on my computer.

 

[Dave245]

can’t wait for mine to arrive 😀

 

[Deacon-Blues]

But will it run World of Warcraft?

 

[dmylrea]

$200 seems to be the number Apple thinks people won't care about spending.

$200 for 2 inches extra screen size.
$200 for 8GB extra memory.
$200 for extra 256GB SSD.

Seems crazy to me.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Will have to find out from non-sponsored reviews if Apple used single or dual ssd modules for the base 256gb model.

Yeah those reviews and reviewers are very very superficial

I'm willing to bet it has a single nand , like 90% sure

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

$200 seems to be the number Apple thinks people won't care about spending.

$200 for 2 inches extra screen size.
$200 for 8GB extra memory.
$200 for extra 256GB SSD.

Seems crazy to me.

Well, you're not apple target then

 

[mattopotamus]

Looks like a great product. Makes me fail to see the point behind the 13” when this is such a good value.

Still people that will prefer the more portable 13". The weight difference is slightly over half a pound, which isn't something to ignore when you are talking about devices that only weight 3 pounds.

 

[Asthmatic Kitty]

15 foot Air? Oh, iJustine …

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

But will it run World of Warcraft?

Uhh...yes? WoW got ported to ARM back in 2020 and ran at over 60FPS on even the M1 lmao.

You don't play much games do you?

 

[bmustaf]

Still don't love that they've crippled it by not allowing dual external displays.

Before you go saying "that's a Pro only feature, the Air is a lightweight non-Pro box", have a look at Apple's marketing page for the Air, literally marketing it with After Effects and "intense workloads".

The hardware is most certainly capable of it...although Vision Pro may make that point entirely moot early next year.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Looks like a great product. Makes me fail to see the point behind the 13” when this is such a good value.

Because not everyone wants a 15 inch laptop.
It’s literally that simple, even if they were the exact same price there would still be those like me who choose the 13 inch

 

[dumastudetto]

Nothing on the Windows side can dream of competing with the price, performance and battery life of these remarkable new MacBook Airs. Every review is glowing in its praise. Only Apple can do this.

 

[AlexJaye]

Imagine, in 2023, Apple is still cheap enough to ship 8gb RAM as the base amount. What a joke.

 

[dmylrea]

Well, you're not apple target then

You're right. I shop wisely. Got my 16" M1 Pro for $1500 on a Costco deal. I will never, ever give Apple $200 for $25 worth of product.

 

[Asthmatic Kitty]

Will have to find out from non-sponsored reviews if Apple used single or dual ssd modules for the base 256gb model.

Think Dave2D said it's the same as in the 13-inch, but he doesn't think it's a big deal.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

You're right. I shop wisely. Got my 16" M1 Pro for $1500 on a Costco deal. I will never, ever give Apple $200 for $25 worth of product.

New ? That's one hell of a deal

 

[TheIguana]

Still don't love that they've crippled it by not allowing dual external displays.

Before you go saying "that's a Pro only feature, the Air is a lightweight non-Pro box", have a look at Apple's marketing page for the Air, literally marketing it with After Effects and "intense workloads".

The hardware is most certainly capable of it...although Vision Pro may make that point entirely moot early next year.

Completely agree, I don’t understand why the reviewers are not calling Apple out on this. There is little excuse for the lack of dual external display support on these new models! Making this a “Pro” only feature is extremely frustrating. All this does is make the computer more apt to become e-waste rather than extending its longevity.

 

[phenste]

man…if I were not a sucker for ProMotion (and rather like having 32GB RAM) I would be on this thing. looks like a great product. still jealous that the non-Pro MacBooks get that Midnight color option…